After saying goodbye to mom, Marisa, and Britney at the airport Friday afternoon, I got on my flight to Laos. We arrived around 5, checked into our hostel, made our plan for the weekend, grabbed some dinner and checked out the night market. Their night market has been my favorite so far. Lots of different things than in Chiang Mai. And much less crowded- you can actually look! However, the money was very confusing- Their smallest note is 1,000. $1=8,260 Kipp. After exchanging my money I felt like a millionaire- and I was...in Kipp! However, that doesn't go that far!
We really didn't have much of a plan when we arrived, but we figured it out. It was actually very nice to not have every second of the day planned out.
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| Our first Tuk Tuk ride |
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| Dinner |
Laos was colonized by the French, so there is lots of French influence here. Lots of crepes and baguettes. The architecture is very French as well which is very strange to see in Asia.
We started Saturday walking through the morning market which was right outside our hostels front door which was pretty cool. It was more like a farmers market than anything. But with some very interesting things...
Next stop, Mt. Phousi for a view of the city!
After climbing all 300+ steps we needed a baguette to refuel. Our lunch was very interesting. We had 2 beggars come into the restaurant and beg for money. We were all very surprised. The staff didn't do anything about it. One of them was on the floor and was touching Megan and I's legs it was very uncomfortable. I have never experienced anything like it. There was also a very hungry cat who really wanted some of my chicken sandwich. We couldn't get out of there fast enough, to say the least.
Next, we rented bikes and rode all around the city which was really great. It helped us to navigate the city easier after riding through it. We stopped at a handful of temples on our loop as well!
We ended the evening with a cruise of the Mekong River!
Sunday, we checked out the Kuang Si waterfall. This was the main thing I wanted to do while we were in Laos so I was very excited! The waterfall was amazing. Probably the most beautiful I have seen. It had many layers. There was one area that you could swim in but the water was very cold so we just stood in the water for a few minutes!
We came back to town around lunch time and got some food and of course some coconut ice cream, which was served in martini glasses.
Next, we went to the royal museum which also had another temple
After fighting off many Chinese tourists in the museum we needed a break. We walked to Utopia which is a bar/very chill place to hang out. They have mats everywhere and encourage you to nap....I'm pretty sure we all dozed off for at least a few minutes, I know I did.
Last but not least, we went to check out Garaveck Storytelling. It was about an hour long show where they told us some of the legends and folktales about Luang Prabang. It was really interesting to hear the stories and see their reasoning behind the mountains that surround Luang Prabang.
Sunday morning was our last day in the city. We had to catch our flight at 1:10 so we didn't have a ton of time. Tara is a coffee lover and she found a tour of Safron coffee which was really interesting. We got to try some of their coffee and deserts, and see how they grow and process and coffee.
Then we headed to the airport to head back to Chiang Mai!
Luang Prabang was honestly probably my favorite weekend so far. The weather was beautiful, much cooler than Chiang Mai has been! Everyone was very nice and helpful, good food, and good company. What else can you ask for in a weekend trip!
I have just short of a month left here in Thailand. My program ends on May 4th. After that I will go to Cambodia fora few days to check out Angkor Wat, then onto Vietnam to Hanoi and Halong Bay before heading home on the 16th! Its going to be a crazy month!
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| Mango sesame salad for lunch! |
Sunday morning was our last day in the city. We had to catch our flight at 1:10 so we didn't have a ton of time. Tara is a coffee lover and she found a tour of Safron coffee which was really interesting. We got to try some of their coffee and deserts, and see how they grow and process and coffee.
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| My mocha and carrot cake |
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| our coffee tasting |
I have just short of a month left here in Thailand. My program ends on May 4th. After that I will go to Cambodia fora few days to check out Angkor Wat, then onto Vietnam to Hanoi and Halong Bay before heading home on the 16th! Its going to be a crazy month!
